Recruitment in Bengal IT sector may slump due to meltdown

January 24th, 2008 Avian Flu has affected over half of West Bengal, India. It has even been detected 40 km (kilometers) away from where I live (Kolkata).

February 15th, 2009 BANGALORE - Infosys Technologies vice-chairman Nandan M. Nilekani Monday admitted that the global economic meltdown has affected hiring in India's IT industry.

August 24th, 2009 Analyst sees offshore IT sector slump bottomingA Wells Fargo analyst upgraded the offshore information technology and business process outsourcing sector on signs that its business slump may be bottoming. Jennifer Fritzsche raised her rating on the sector to "Market Weight" from "Underweight." While cautioning that a business upturn is not yet apparent, she said there are signs the market is stabilizing especially in financial services as well as the North American market.

February 21st, 2009 DURGAPUR - Coming down heavily on India's ruling United Progressive Alliance for neglecting the recession-hit small scale sector, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Saturday said the central government seemed only concerned with big companies like Satyam. 'The small scale sector is very badly hit.

April 18th, 2009 Though the financial sector has started showing some signs of recovery from the global meltdown, the IT industry in the country will take some more time to regain the growth momentum, a top industry official said here saturday. 'The crisis started in the financial sector and recovery also seems to be happening first in that sector,' S.

September 1st, 2009 BANGALORE - Defying the global meltdown, Karnataka earned $17 billion (Rs.74,929 crore) from software exports last fiscal (2008-09) as against Rs.60,800 crore the previous year, registering a 23 percent growth in rupee terms and 21.5 percent in dollar terms. "The export performance of the IT industry in the state, especially Bangalore, demonstrates the knowledge sector remains unaffected by the global meltdown and decline in IT spending overseas," state Information Minister Katta Subbramanya Naidu told reporters here.

August 5th, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal government has acquired 200 acres of contiguous land for the Rajarhat information technology (IT) hub, where software majors like Infosys and Wipro have sought space, a state minister said here Wednesday. "We are now ready to offer land to any company.

February 9th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The Essar group of industries Tuesday started setting up Jammu and Kashmir's first Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO), which will generate 4,000 jobs in the state that has around 300,000 jobless youth who are often targeted for recruitment by militant outfits. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah laid the ceremonial foundation stone of the BPO centre at Rangreth Industrial Area complex on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

January 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - The global economic meltdown has reduced the pace of growth of West Bengal's showpiece IT sector, but the state wants to build IT infrastructure and develop a talent pool so that it's ready when times get better. 'During the last financial year, the IT sector in the state grew around 46 percent in dollar terms against the national growth of 28 percent,' state IT Minister Debesh Das told IANS.

April 14th, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO - Major companies in the Silicon Valley are suffering the biggest slump since the dot-com bust, further proving that the leading technology hub is not immune from the effects of a global economic meltdown, a new report has said. According to rankings compiled by the San Jose Mercury News, total market capitalisation of Silicon Valley's 150 biggest public companies plunged 32 percent to about $850 billion for the past 12 months ending March 31, the worst decline since 2002.

January 14th, 2009 BANGALORE - The Rs.70 billion (Rs.7,000-crore/$1.43 billion) accounting fraud at Satyam Computer Services has forced the software sector's umbrella body Nasscom to defer its revised forecast on the IT industry's growth this fiscal (2008-09), a top industry representative said Thursday. 'Now that the numbers of Satyam are still in dispute, it will be unfair to come out with a revised forecast,' Nasscom chairman Ganesh Natarajan told IANS here.

April 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With major companies in the Silicon Valley suffering the biggest slump since the dot-com bust, some firms are eyeing India and China to recover from the effects of a global economic meltdown. The total market capitalisation of the leading technology hub's 150 biggest public companies plunged 32 percent to about $850 billion for the last 12 months ending March 31, the worst decline since 2002, according to an annual survey by the San Jose Mercury News.

January 8th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal government will give 25 acres land to scam-tainted IT company Satyam Computers in the state if they want it, Information Technology (IT) Minister Debesh Das said here Friday. 'If they want it, we will definitely give it.

January 24th, 2008 Believe it or not, I am looking to stock some tamiflu just in case. I have asked our medicine supplier (yes, we have one) to get me 2-3 strips.

March 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - An irate mob broke windows of a mini-bus and set it ablaze after the vehicle ran over a youth in a West Bengal town Monday, the police said. The incident took place Monday morning in Salkia town of Howrah district, adjoining Kolkata.